I'm working a pattern from a knitting book I picked up on vacation this summer in New Zealand. Being a novice knitter, I don't know what these directions mean and I've included ALL the directions that I've worked so far (I don't know what might be important to answer my question).

Here goes:

BACK AND FRONTS (Knitted in one piece, beg at lower edge) using 5.5mm circular needles, cast on 188 sts.

Divide for armholes ---
It means you'll stop working in the round and knit the back and front separately, flat. So you'll work 60 sts in the rib pattern, BO 6 st, work 56 sts, BO the last 6 sts, then work around to the beginning of the round.

The next step is to work on those 60 sts which will be the left front.

You began with 188 stitches working the fronts and back in one piece, but not knitting in the round, just knitting the fronts and backs together on a 5.5 circular needle to hold all the stitches comfortably. You only knit 6 rows in ribbing with an edge stitch on each side and then you knit the rest up to the armpits in predominately knit a row purl a row (with 3 edge stitches), and the purl side is designated the right side of the piece. You worked until you had 40 cm from the cast-on edge.

Now you are going to divide as Sue said to work the fronts, and back separately, only you don't switch from working in the round, because you never were working in the round. And you don't switch from ribbing, you only worked the rib for a short while and then switched to the body of the sweater which is reverse stockinette (the back side of a regular stockinette [knit a row, purl a row]) on the public side. The last row you worked before beginning the dividing row will have been a predominatedly knitted row (WS-wrong side).

So you will work the first 60 stitches (on the same needle you have been using) in pattern. Which just means do them the way you have been doing all the right side rows (the predominately purl rows), in other words K3 then beging purling until you have worked 60 stitches. Then you bind off 6 stitches loosely. Since you are purling this row, you do them purl wise, IOW purl the stitches and lift the first over the second as in any bind off. When you have bound off 6 stitches count the stitches that are on the right side of the space made by the BO. You want 60 stitches there. If you have some different number, you probably counted the BO stitches the wrong way. Do it over until you have 60 to the right of the BO space. These 60 stitches will be worked later as the right front of the sweater.

Now you will "pattern 56"---so you just purl 56 because that is all the pattern amounts to. Then you bind off another 6 stitches purlwise. Then you work to the end like you would on any right side row, ending with 3 knit stitches. You must check again to see that you have 60 stitches at that end. These will be the left front of the sweater. You want 60 for the right front, space for the armhole, 56 stitches for the back of the sweater, a space for the other armhole, and then 60 for the left front of the sweater.

Now your pattern says:

Quote:

Change to pair of 5.5mm needles and cont on last 60 sts for Left Front, leave rem sts on circular needle.

They are suggesting you work on a straight pair of 5.5 needles as you work on the last 60 stitches you worked on (these will be the left front of the sweater as you would wear it), and leave the other 56+60 on the circular needle. You could do that if you have enough needles to do it that way, or you could put the 60 right front and 56 back stitches on holders or pieces of yarn to wait until you work on them. Whatever way you choose to do it, you need to be able to work on the 60 stitches that will be the left front of the sweater as you wear it and hold those other stitches some way so that you can work on them as directed a little later.

That is why we all need each other here. It is easy for any of us to miss something when we are trying to help, I know I have done it too. Could be doing it right now. Sometimes when I'm sure I see the whole picture I miss something that was really obvious/or important. Don't feel bad, just be there to set things straight when I miss something. KH is a team sport, and I'm glad we're all on the same side. Merigold

Thank you to both of you for your help. You're right when you say this is a team effort. I am so thankful and glad that I found this site, not only for the help, but for the camaraderie. By the way, here is a link to the website where I bought my project and a picture of the sweater I'm knitting.

Wow, that is an interesting pattern. I went to the site and looked at a bunch (maybe all) the versions of this idea. Short, long, plain and fancy. Wear it upside down, or fastened here or there. Very interesting. I like the one you are using.